Tiller



March 13, 1928.

H. VON RAUSSENDORFF TILLER Filed Oct. 25, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l March13, 1928. 1,662,088

vH. VON RAUssENDoRl-'F TILLER Filed Oct. 25. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented Mar; 13, 192s.

PATENT orales.

HANS von BA'USS'ENDOBFF, OF CHIGAGO, ILLINOIS.

TILLEB- Application tied October 85, 1920, Serial No. 143,828.

My invention pertains to a tiller, and more particularly to a rotaryone; and one of othe chief objects of the invention is to,l

provide such a tiller having tools with claws which are mountedresiliently and arranged to hack and till the soil, and each tool withits claw being independently yieldable in any direction, to free itselffrom an obstacle. Another object is to arrange the tools wlth l theclaws placed around a central. axis to form a cylinder, and the clawsbemgA supported on spring shanks which are curved and overlie eachother, so that, when a claw encounters an obstacle of considerableresistance, the shank will press back on the following one and thencrowd together the succeeding ones which thus reinforce, one another.

Another object is to arrange a number of 0 tools in the form of a.circular wreath, and so mounted that either one plane of tools orseveral planes of tools may be used on a wreath at any time, as desired.

A furtherobject is to arrangethe tools 55 in the form of a number ofcircular wreaths, and to mount a plurality of'wreaths in axialalinement, and so that they may be spaced apart so as to suit anydesired tillage and any condition of soil.

Another object is to provide frame mechanism with means for supportingthe wreaths of tools in an operative and in an inoperative position, andincluding driving means to rotate the same so as to move the toolsthrough the ground'na 'rearward direction,

A still further object is to provide a frame with housing means toprevent undesired s'reading of earth particles, and toprotect tlietools, and also including rearwardly swinging end gate means to preventclogging ofearth in the housing. Other objects and a vantages areattained with my invention, aswill becomeI apparent from the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in

which,

Fig. l is aside view of a certain form of my new and improved tillermounted in osition on the rear of a motor'tractor, to e driven thereby;

Fig. 2 is a partial plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged slde view, partly broken away, of a wreath o ftools, mounted in position on a central drive shaft;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of to twist or flex so that aclaw can move side- Fig. 3, indicating the use of either one or moresets or planes of tools on a wreath;

Fig. 5V is an enlarged sectional view of the claw of a tool, taken online 5-5 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view on line 6--6 of Fig- 3, showing a claw fromthe rear.

In the drawings I have shown a certain form of my invention,particularly adapted for use with a motor tractor, and comprising arotatable cultivator for tiller having tools with claws arranged arounda central axis to form a cylinder, and means for housing and' forsupporting the tiller in various positions, including frame and bracketmeans and hand operated means for moving and retaining the tiller andits housin means in such positions; also gear means oradriving thetiller by the driving means of the tractor.

The rotatable tiller mechanism comprises a plurality of wreaths oftools, the wreaths be1ng mounted' side by side or in axial alinement,with the outer ends of the tools forming a cylinder, and each wreathpreferably includes a ring 10 having a number of bores 1l formed axiallytherethrough to receive p1ns 12, and each tool has an eye portion 13 atthe inner end placed at a side of a ring and embracing an end of a pin..Each tool further includes a curved resilient shank 14 haylng a claw15. at the outer end, said claw being curved in a direction reverse tothe curvature of the shank. A plurality of the tools are placed at aside of a ring and arranged in succession and spaced apart to form acircular plane or set of tools, the end of each s hank being curved overto form the eye portlon embracing the pin, and the extreme or free endof the metal which forms the eye portion presses against the eye portionof the succeeding tool, so that the tools locate themselves elasticallyand can turn both ways on the pins; and the construction and placing ofthe tools with their shanks is such that when one claw encounters anobstacle of considerable resistance, the Shanks, due to their resilienceand curvature, will, move back and brace and reinforce one another. Theshanks are furthermore narrow and resilient laterally and are alsoadapted waysas well as forward or backward and upward to move free froman obstacle, that is, a claw can. move independently in any direction.The claws are shaped broad and flat on the face side 15 and are narroweddown toward the rear edge 15", as indicated in Fi 5, andare also beveledor lwedge shape toward the outer end 16 to form a sharp point, asindicated in the drawings.

I arrange the wreaths for the use of either one plane or more planes oftools, and I preferably, do this by using pins 12 which have two holes17 provided therethrough, in either of which I place a cotter pin 18, orthe like, and also use a washer 19; thus one plane of tools may beomitted, as indicated at the right hand side of Fig. 4, or all theplanes of tools may be nsed,

as indicated at the left hand side of Fig. 4;v

thereby adapting the tiller for various forms or conditions oftillageldesired, and also to the power available for operating the tiller. Aplurality of wreaths are placed side b side, or in axial alinement, andare pre erably mounted on a shaft 20, as with set screws 21, so as to bespaced apart axially thereon, at any distance suitable. The shaft ispreferably also provided with keyways 22 and 22 to receive keys or ribs23 formed on the rings, in order to assurerotation of.

the rings and tools with the shaft. As there are referably twelve toolswith their claws usedp in a set or plane of tools, and the tools beingplaced 30 apart, these two keyways are located. apart, or 15 less than ahalf circle, and the successive wreaths of tools are mounted alternatelywith their keys 23 in these two keyways 22 and 22', whereby the tools onthe alternate wreaths are positioned 15 apart or staggered, as indicatedby the fulL lines and the dot and dash lines therebetween in Fig. 3.

A housing 24 is ,provided over the wreaths fof tools, to protect thesame and to prevent undesired spreading of earth articles. The tools arerotatably mountedfin-the housing by journaling the ends of shaft 2O inbearin members 25 on frame bars 26 at the sides o the housing. Gatemeans 27, preferably in the formof several sections, are swingablymounted at the rear/of the housing, by eyes 28 and rod means 29, andfingers 30 are provided at the bottom of said gate means and arranged tomove over the ground during operation of the tiller. As each gatesection swings separately and freely, the clog 'n of earth particles andan matter in t e ousingz-at any point, is fu ly and convenientlyavoided.

The housing and rotatable tiller therein are swingably mounted on thetractor, as by means of frame arms 31 extending forward from the housinand journaled on a pivot shaft 32 provide on bracket means 33, whichmcludes intermediate bars 34 fastened to the tractor and bracing sidearms, 35 extending outwardly, to the tractor axle.

. The means for raising and lowerin the tiller with the housing on pivotshaft 32 and for holding the same in position referably includes a cable36, with a resi ient member 37 mounted therein, and attached to an eye38 on the housing, said cablebein windable on a drum 39, which isactuate manually by a crank 40 with 'a worm 41 thereon driving a wormgear 42 fastened on the drum. The tiller with" its claws ma thus bemoved and held in any suitable osition with the claws located either inor a ove the ground.

Gear means for driving the tiller by means of the tractor preferablyincludes a worm gear 43 fastened on an intermediate part of the tillershaft 20, and driven by a worm 44 on a shaft 45 extending forwardly andhaving a bevel pinion 46 at its -front end, which engages a verticalbevel gear 48 and is swingable with the tiller vertically thereon, saidgear being driven by a bevel pinion 49 actuated by the driving mechanismof the tractor. A easing 47 is mounted over these pinions and gear tokeep them dust proof, and has a part cut out at the rear, which is madedust proof by a curved gate 47 slidable over said cut-out portion, andswingable with shaft 45 and the tiller.

The claws and the shanks are curved in the reverse direction and are soconstructed and arranged that, as the tiller moves forduring theirupward movement from the ground, thereby producing an excellent crumbstructure, thoroughly aired, and with all earth particles and all addedorganic matter completely mixed and intermin led.

What I claim as my invention and esire to secure vby Letters Patent is:

1. A tiller comprising a rotatable wreath including a ring having aplurality of tools with resilient curved Shanks mounted on said ring andbeing arranged in succession and spaced so the Shanks will engage andbrace each other when a tool encounters a xed obstacle.

2. A tiller comprising a plurality of rotatable wreaths including a ringand resilient tools removably mounted thereon in central circularplanes, the construction being arranged so that either several of theplanes of tools may be used on a' orl only one ilane of tools andanothelrmpane be omitte during operation.

means including pinsl tingf the other plane.

.insaid bores for-mounting either a, plane of `V1a o`ls`joi-i each sideof said ring orfor using oneplane on one sideof the rmg and Imt- 4.-fuller comprising? a roma.

Y neliding a ring and a plurality of too 4,ar-l

v ranged and fixed on and around said'fring in ikplanes, a plurality ofsaid tool Wreaths being spaced adjustably on said sha-ft, said toolshaving lexible curved shanks and being arranged in radial succession ineach plane and spaced so that the Shanks will race and rein-force cachother when a tool encounters an'obsta'cle, so as to pull it out or toelude it by moving to either side independently from each other.

5. A tillcr comprising rotatable wreaths of tools, a'pln formountmg eachtool, each -tool having a spring steel shank with its end curved over toform an eye portion which fits around a pin, the extreme end of themetal of said eye portion is pressed against the eye portion ofthesucceeding tool while the shank part of said eye portion is pressedagainst the end of the-metal forming the eye portion of the precedingtool, so that thetools` locate themselves elastically and allow saidtools to turn on said pins in both directions.

6. A tiller comprising a shaft, a plurality of rings adjustablelongitudinally of said shaft for selectively spacing the same, aplurality of planes of tools removably mounted on each ring, and mountinmeans permitting the selective use of eit 1er one plane or severalplanes of tools on each rin 7. A tiller comprising an axle .and toocarrying means around the same, tools hav;

\ curved reverse -being ing resilient Shanks curved and superposed onsaid means to engage and brace each other, and claws on said Shankswhich are to the shanks and arranged to have their points cut the soilin a sub stantially vertical line and then have their inner parts andthe Shanks wedge the soil rearwardly.

8. A tiller comprising rotatable toolswith claws thereon, -a housingcovering said tools and claws for preventing undesired spreading ofearth particles, and a rear gate swingablv mounted on said housing tomove rearwardly. y

9,'A tiller comprising rotatable tool carrying means including toolswith' claws the-reolna housing mounted over said tools and claws forprotecting saine and to prevent undesired spreading of earth particles,means Jfory supporting said housing With the lower end near the ground,and a gate with means movable over the ground, said gate mounted toswing rearwardly on said housing and prevent clogging of the groundtherein. a

`10. A tiller comprising rotatable tools with claws, a. supportingtraine and a housing for protecting said rotatable tools andto reventundesired s readinr of earth rar-' ticlcs, said housing including gateVmechanism mounted across its rear end to move readily rearwardly toprevent clogging of the ground therein, and lingers on said gatemechanism to drag over the ground and shape the surface in a corrugatedmanner to prevent crusting and cracking ol' the soil.

In testimony whereof I have sign d my name to this specification.

HANS voN RAUSSENDORFF.

